Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House
Encyclopedia
The Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House is the oldest surviving house in Newport
, Rhode Island
, United States
. Built ca. 1697, it is also one of the oldest surviving houses in the state. It is located at the corner of Broadway and Stone Street, in the downtown section of the city in the Newport Historic District
.
The house "was damaged by Stamp Act
riots in 1765 when occupied by a Tory Stampmaster."
The house has passed through several owners since its construction, and has been renovated and improved by some of them. The three for whom it is named were not the first, but they were members of a family, related by marriage that owned it for over a century, from shortly before the Revolution
to 1911. Since the 1920s it has been owned by the Newport Historical Society
(NHS), which renovated it and converted it to a historic house museum. In 1960 it was among the first National Historic Landmark
s designated by the Department of the Interior
.
wooden clapboard
structure with a high peaked roof that slopes down in the rear and plaster
cornice
. It is painted a historic shade of dark red, except for a white door and entryway with pilaster
s and a small pediment
.
. His son sold it to Richard Ward
, a lawyer and governor of Rhode Island, in the early 18th century. Sometime before 1725, a lean-to
-styled kitchen
was built on the north side of the house.
Martin Howard, Jr., a lawyer
and Loyalist
(Tory) owned the house afterwards. He decorated the house with molding and paneling inside. He fled in 1766 following the Stamp Act Riots, during which he was hanged in effigy
as a reaction to his coauthorship of a pamphlet
criticizing the opponents of the Act for their disrespect to the Crown
and Parliament
. The house was slightly damaged by an angry mob.
A Quaker merchant, John Wanton, bought the house at auction later that year. In 1782 his son-in-law Daniel Lyman
, a Revolutionary major, inherited it. Three years later he added the rear wing to accommodate his growing family. From him it passed to Benjamin Hazard
, who had married another of Wanton's daughters in 1807. The Hazard family sold the property in 1911, after Mary Hazard, Benjamin's last surviving daughter, died. The building then fell into disrepair and remained vacant.
In 1927, the Newport Historical Society
purchased it and renovated it with the help of colonial architectural renovationist and historian, Norman Isham
. He and the Society chose to renovate it in a combination of several of the period styles
it had passed through. That resulted in removing the rear wing and restoring the upstairs bedroom to its original appearance.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1960.
In 1995, a Preliminary Historic Structure Report was done, allowing the historical society to get grants
for another renovation and stabilization. The four-year project was finished in 2001. During that time, the NHS had also agreed to work with the Newport Garden Club to restore the original grounds and plantings. Archeological research conducted on the property for that project has led to some newer revelations about the house. Among them was an interior and exterior paint analysis, which has led to the house's paint scheme being adjusted.
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Built ca. 1697, it is also one of the oldest surviving houses in the state. It is located at the corner of Broadway and Stone Street, in the downtown section of the city in the Newport Historic District
Newport Historic District (Rhode Island)
The Newport Historic District covers 250 acres in the center of that city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 due to its extensive and well-preserved assortment of intact colonial buildings dating from the early and mid-18th century...
.
The house "was damaged by Stamp Act
Stamp Act
A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...
riots in 1765 when occupied by a Tory Stampmaster."
The house has passed through several owners since its construction, and has been renovated and improved by some of them. The three for whom it is named were not the first, but they were members of a family, related by marriage that owned it for over a century, from shortly before the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
to 1911. Since the 1920s it has been owned by the Newport Historical Society
Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history.-History of the Society:...
(NHS), which renovated it and converted it to a historic house museum. In 1960 it was among the first National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
s designated by the Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
.
Building
Today the house is a five-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
wooden clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
structure with a high peaked roof that slopes down in the rear and plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. It is painted a historic shade of dark red, except for a white door and entryway with pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and a small pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
.
History
Stephen Mumford, a Sabbatarian and merchant, built the house in the late 17th century as a simple two-story structure with one room on either side of a central chimneyChimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
. His son sold it to Richard Ward
Richard Ward (politician)
Sir Richard Warde was an English politician and royal official.Richard was the son of Thomas Warde, the Porter, Controller of the Works and Keeper of the Armoury at Windsor Castle, by his wife, Maud, the daughter of Thomas Moore of Bourton in Buckinghamshire...
, a lawyer and governor of Rhode Island, in the early 18th century. Sometime before 1725, a lean-to
Lean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
-styled kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
was built on the north side of the house.
Martin Howard, Jr., a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
(Tory) owned the house afterwards. He decorated the house with molding and paneling inside. He fled in 1766 following the Stamp Act Riots, during which he was hanged in effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
as a reaction to his coauthorship of a pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
criticizing the opponents of the Act for their disrespect to the Crown
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
and Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. The house was slightly damaged by an angry mob.
A Quaker merchant, John Wanton, bought the house at auction later that year. In 1782 his son-in-law Daniel Lyman
Daniel Lyman
Daniel Lyman was a New England soldier, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and member of the secessionist Hartford Convention....
, a Revolutionary major, inherited it. Three years later he added the rear wing to accommodate his growing family. From him it passed to Benjamin Hazard
Benjamin Hazard
Benjamin Hazard was a Rhode Island legislator, attorney and member of the secessionist Hartford Convention.Hazard was born on September 18, 1770 in Middletown, Rhode Island. He graduated from Brown University in the class of 1792 and later married Harriet Lyman, daughter of Daniel Lyman and Mary...
, who had married another of Wanton's daughters in 1807. The Hazard family sold the property in 1911, after Mary Hazard, Benjamin's last surviving daughter, died. The building then fell into disrepair and remained vacant.
In 1927, the Newport Historical Society
Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history.-History of the Society:...
purchased it and renovated it with the help of colonial architectural renovationist and historian, Norman Isham
Norman Isham
Norman Morrison Isham was a prominent architectural historian, restorationist, author, and professor at Brown University and RISD.-Biography:...
. He and the Society chose to renovate it in a combination of several of the period styles
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
it had passed through. That resulted in removing the rear wing and restoring the upstairs bedroom to its original appearance.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1960.
In 1995, a Preliminary Historic Structure Report was done, allowing the historical society to get grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
for another renovation and stabilization. The four-year project was finished in 2001. During that time, the NHS had also agreed to work with the Newport Garden Club to restore the original grounds and plantings. Archeological research conducted on the property for that project has led to some newer revelations about the house. Among them was an interior and exterior paint analysis, which has led to the house's paint scheme being adjusted.
External links
- Newport Historical Society house page
- Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, 17 Broadway, Newport, Newport County, RI: 16 photos, 12 drawings, and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey